Wax eloquent over Barcelona’s tapas scene, gush about the diversity of New York’s restaurants or brag about the latest gastro pubs you’ve visited in London, and I’ll listen with pleasure. But claim the chocolate scene is more exciting anywhere than in Paris, and I’ll protest, for when it comes to chocolateries, no other city comes close. The pastry shops in Paris are magnificent, but it’s the top chocolate shops that raise this exquisite ingredient into the realm of art. Enter these palaces of pleasure and you’ll be knocked out by the enticing smells and gorgeous displays of rochers, bouchées, pralines and ganaches flavoured with ginger, lime, passion fruit and tonka beans. Get ready to spend upward of $40 a “ballotin,” but rest assured these are chocolates like you’ve never tasted before.

Chocolateries

Foucher

Founded in 1819, this seventh-generation chocolate shop (located around the corner from La Grande Épicerie, see story next page) isn’t the most cutting-edge chocolaterie. And yet upon entering this store one is quickly seduced by the undeniable beauty of a fine box of chocolates. The bonbons here are lovely (classic ganaches, pralines, marzipan) and sold in the most fetching of “emballages.” I simply melted walking through the shop, every box more beautiful than the last — works of art one and all. You can also pick up the most delectable rochers pralinées and other chocolate bouchées ideal for nibbling while walking the streets of this oh-so-chic neighbourhood. Foucher, 134 rue du Bac (7th), 30 Ave. de l’Opéra (2nd). www.chocolat-foucher.com

Jean-Paul Hévin

Though I recall being served years ago by this master chocolatier at his first, Motte-Piquet chocolaterie, today he’s probably on his scooter travelling between his four stores. Hévin’s chocolates are incredibly refined, and his signature navy blue and beige boxes are chic and sleek. His creations range from chocolate sculptures to 40 different varieties of chocolate bonbons, to macarons, chocolate mousse cakes, éclairs, tarts, cakes and more. For something completely different, try his cheese-filled chocolates, or head upstairs to the cocoa bar of his St-Honoré shop for a cup of his wicked hot chocolate. Beware: The chocolate aroma when you enter the store might knock you over. Jean-Paul Hévin, 231 rue Saint-Honoré (1st), 3 rue Vavin (6th), 23 bis, Ave. de la Motte-Piquet (7th), Lafayette Gourmet 48, Boul. Haussmann (9th), www.jeanpaulhevin.com

Michel Chaudun

Yet another simply divine Parisian chocolate shop, Michel Chaudun is the under-the-radar chocolatier in Paris beloved by in-the-know chocoholics for its très sympa owner, who learned to make picture-perfect Parisian chocolates at the once ground-breaking and still fabulous La Maison du Chocolat. Chaudun is known for his melt-on-your-tastebuds “pavés” (like a truffle with no outer shell), but all of the chocolates I sampled at his shop near Les Invalides were textbook. No flash, but so much substance, Chaudun’s chocolates are considered by many to be the best in the city. Note: Chaudun also produces a sugar-free line for diabetics. Michel Chaudun, 149 rue de l’Université (7th).

Patrick Roger

The chocolate scene was already terrific in Paris, and then along came sculptor/chocolatier Patrick Roger. Using bold flavours (lime, coffee, salted caramel, yuzu, ginger) and diverse textures for his chocolates, Roger is equally known for his outlandish sculptures, wildly decorated shops and signature turquoise-coloured bonbon boxes that measure up to a metre in length. It’s all quite artsy, dreamy and orgasmic. If you’re a chocolate lover, you haven’t lived until you’ve been to Roger. Patrick Roger, 108 Boul. St-Germain (6th)

Jacques Genin

Sensual chocolates, heavenly caramels and pristine pâtes de fruits (fruit jellies) are the raison d’être of this master chocolatier, who is the sort of Camille Claudel of the chocolate world, as in he’s a bit on the reclusive side, a crazed perfectionist and notoriously temperamental. The bonbons are mostly ganaches made with meticulously sourced chocolate and ingredients (ginger, passion fruit, kumquat, Madagascar vanilla), resulting in chocolates as gratifying to the senses as fine wines. Though renowned for his pastries (his Paris-Brest, mille-feuilles and lime tarts were legendary), Genin decided to focus solely on chocolates and confiserie from now on, though one can still enjoy a mille-feuilles at his minimalist shop/salon de thé situated in a beautiful historic building on the rue de Turenne in the Marais, whose handful of tables are the most coveted in Paris. Jacques Genin, 133 rue de Turenne (3rd)

Le Manufacture de Chocolat Alain Ducasse

The newest and extremely notable chocolate shop in Paris comes from none other than France’s greatest chef, Alain Ducasse, and, no, this isn’t just a candy shop, but a mini-factory “manufacture” that actually makes the chocolate on site from bean to bar. Though Ducasse’s name is on the packaging, the real talent behind this venture is renowned pastry chef Nicolas Berger, and what they’re creating is more than 40 varieties of chocolate produced from beans the world over. In the words of Parisian food writer Trish Deseine, this chocolaterie is “completely luxurious, but no pomp, ego, or glitz.” Sure to be my first stop on my next trip. La Manufacture de Chocolat Alain Ducasse, 40 rue de la Roquette (11th). http://lechocolat-alainducasse.com/